The Giver is written by Ottawa Mag’s Dee Campbell, who knows that people prefer to volunteer in ways that speak to their interests. Dee has volunteered for the Terry Fox Run since she was a little girl and is a Brownie Leader of 15 years.

Do you have a volun-gig needing filled? Email dcampbell@stjosephmedia.com.

Save a turkey’s life by serving a veggie meal this Thanksgiving! All goods at Strawberry Blonde are free of most allergens and filled with yum.

Dairy-, Nut-, Animal- and Gluten-Free for Thanksgiving

This year, ditch the bird in favour of a healthier, kinder and environmentally friendlier meal. In doing so, you’ll save yourself kitchen anxiety and you’ll save at least one life {gobble gobble}. No need to learn new dishes in less than 72 hours, however. At Strawberry Blonde you can buy take-away tourtières, pot pies, stuffing, and sweets galore that are dairy-, nut-, animal- and gluten-free. Trust me on this one: their goods are full of ohmagoodness deliciousness. Call (613) 725-CAKE. Thyme & Again also has a nut-free, gluten-loving, take-away vegan tourtière. For the downtown folks, The Tea Party is hosting a veggie Thanksgiving dinner for $16, and Auntie Loo’s has vegan pumpkin pies for sale Sat/Sun.

Summer is Out. Fall is In.

If you plan on spending part of the weekend unpacking fall/winter clothes and tucking away summer duds, ask yourself if you really need to keep it all. Honestly, I have pants that I haven’t worn in years. They probably aren’t anywhere near in style now. What’s ‘in’ now anyway? Wide legs? Skinny jeans? (Blahhh. That’s what our Shop Talk is about.) Okay…so you have a PILE of clothes to give away to those less fortunate. Yay you! Take them to Value Village (what they don’t sell here is sent to developing countries) or Salvation Army (you can even volunteer here, to earn extra Giver points).

$1 is worth $5 to the Ottawa Food Bank

Show Me the Money!

How many times have you walked past the donated food bin at the grocery store and thought, “Oops…I forgot to do that again.”? Yeah, me too. The good news is that $20 cash is worth more to the Ottawa Food Bank than those food donations. In fact, it’s worth FIVE times more. Which means you’re feeding five times the people in our community. How? Ottawa Food Bank 1) purchases food in bulk and 2) has amazing food industry partners. So, don’t feel guilty anymore — just donate.